Lyria smiled sheepishly as she returned near the fire and saw the group took out their own provisions, feeling exceedingly rude for her previous remark. Placing a single ration on the ground, she walked back to her pack and stashed the other five, hoping that the group did not notice her blunder, her face burning all the way. Gren's remark provided a distraction and Lyria grabbed it gladly.

"Your observation is quite right. We do not live here. We are both traveller and, like you, we were passing through when the blizzard started. Thankfully, we found this place not too long after. Otherwise, I shudder to think at what would have happened. That was three days ago, I believe." Lyria offered the information gladly as she walked back towards the fire, grabbing her dropped ration on the way, feeling quite safe in her relative anonymity.

"My apologies, also, for the lack of introduction before. It was not the time or place, I feel. However, now that we are all safe and warm, I will not be opposed to knowing more about your companions," she chattered on as she sat as closely to Tevlin as what was appropriate, extending her arms and feet towards the fire in the middle of the room. Despite the layers of clothing, she felt quite exposed without her Niffa and was glad of the man, for both his life-saving fire as well as his imposing presence. Having traveled with him, Lyria also trusted him most.

Waiting for the group to respond, she tore open her ration and stared at the dried, salty meat. For a moment she debated whether she should grab some snow from the roofless room, melt it on her cauldron and cook the meat into an extremely plain stew but the implied effort tire her already. Content with the tough protein as it was, Lyria began to tear at the strip absentmindedly.

Tevlin smiled, enjoying the presence of so many people around him.  He tended his fire, stoking it and feeding it as necessary but unlike the others, he seemed to feel no need to anchor himself to the heat of the flames.  In fact, he seemed a source of his own heat to those who drew close enough to notice.

"The weather here has been... hmm.  Very interesting.  Not quite what I had in mind when I set out on this trip, of course, but then when have things ever gone exactly according to plan, hey?  That's half of the adventure right there!" He said, unleashing a deep, booming laugh that reverberated throughout the room.

"I'm Kassadria," the Tiefling introduced herself, as the spirit of the conversation seemed to lead that way, and now at least her teeth had stopped chattering, though she still seemed to make some effort not to show off her horns. "You've been staying here for three days?" she asked, surprised by that particular development. No wonder Lyria was talking about them running out of food. Their own supplies were still plentiful enough, as far as she was aware; they had been well stocked when they left Theranin.

Lorelei showed no hesitation to sit down beside the fire and enjoy the warmth, brushing her hair back and clear of snow flakes as she savored the heat. Unlike the others she wasn't quick to speak for the moment, letting them do the talking as she let her body warm up idly rubbing her hands together. The snow began to drip from her clothes as her pack waited nearby, and after a few minutes she drew out her water skin leaving it a little closer to the fire to warm it up.

"Names Lorelei..... Thank you"

When she spoke a few minutes later her voice was a little harsh, not soft or melodic but as if it was forced. None the less her relieved look proved she was truly grateful to get out of the snow and into somewhere a bit warmer.

Fortunately for Strange there happens to be a sort of nook above the fireplace which probably, at some point in the past, held a statue of some kind.  He was only too glad to put it to use for its intended purpose once more, even if it was only temporary, "Strange." he mumbles in his gritty rumbling voice.  His suspicions were lessening by the minute but he was glad to have a wall at his back for sure, "Is my name, that is.. hmm.."

"Well met to all of you; it is good to find company.  What brings you out into this blizzard?" Tevlin asked, saying the last word as if it tasted foreign in his mouth, as if it were from another language entirely.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 22:40, Tue 11 Dec 2012.

Lyria smiled and nodded to each one of them as they introduced themselves. At Kassadria's question, Lyria's answer was quite uncharacteristically brief. "Yes, unfortunately the weather have not been kind to us," she offered with a slight shrug of her shoulder which could easily be missed due to the layers of thick clothes she wore.

Truthfully, while she did her best to acknowledge their response, her mind dragged her elsewhere. As she looked at the group, she could see each person on the Holy Day of the Inheritor, their names ringing loudly in her ears as they strode out of the crowd in that cramped town square. 'Heroes responsible for the freedom of the people'. Lyria had cheered and clapped along with the masses that day, thinking of how courageous they were for having stood up and defeated Vyncent Lacio.

Coward.

The mere memory of the man made her grit her teeth. The insultingly polite way he carried himself when he came to visit her shop, flaunting the power he had over her life. Oh how she would have loved to reach out and wrap her hands around his thin, slender neck. Or, better yet, slip him a sample of his own 'simple request'.

His face came into her mind then. The bright blue eyes that she had once equally feared and adored, wide open, staring straight at her. Strange how ambivalent her feelings had become after only a few days. If only she had possessed the courage exemplified by the company she now kept. Perhaps then Vyncent's face would be the one she remembered instead of him. Perhaps then they would still be in Theranin, opening their shop...

No! her mind cried, jerking her back to the present and the pieces of meat gripped tightly within her hands. Her breath came short and quick, and she could hear pounding in her ears. How long had she been staring? Hoping no one else noticed, Lyria brought the meat into her mouth and began to nibble on an edge.

Thankfully, Tevlin had continued the conversation and, surely, diverted all the attention. The smile creeping back to her face, Lyria lifted her head and fixed her gaze to whoever decided to speak next.

"We all have our own reasons.  What we have in common is the destination.  We head for Azul Irkul.  And we all seem to trust one another well enough to sleep without worrying about being daggered in the back," he said making a stabbing motion in the air.  He was not much in the mood to explaining his dislike of Theranin in front of these two strangers.

Gren pinched his now warm meal and chomped half of it in one large messy bite.  Warm grease dripped down his fingers and beard.  Warmth on the outside was pleasant, but even more so on the inside.  He too placed his waterskin near the fire; however, it wasn't to defrost it because it wasn't water.  He carried honey mead in his and he wanted more warm fluids.  Gren detested water from a skin, carried too long it would pick up the taste of the cured leather.  Honey mead had a longer shelf life and hid the foul taste.

"Well, I certainly trust Tevlin enough in that regard." Lyria indicated her tall companion with a slight movement of her head. "I've never heard of this Azul Irkul before but then again, I've never been south of Theranin. It will be quite the adventure! If we are heading the same way, I will certainly welcome the extra company. Perhaps, after tonight, you may decide whether you can trust us." The grin that spread across her face was genuine before she returned to her struggle in chewing the dried meat in her mouth, completely failing to act in any lady-like manner in the meantime.

"My destination is whichever town we first come across," she divulged after swallowing with equal difficulty, eager to continue the conversation to keep her mind from wandering again, "although I cannot speak for the both of us. With a bit of luck, I'll be able to find something to occupy myself for the time being." And make amends.

Clearing her throat from the salt, Lyria rose and walked towards her pack, taking out her empty waterskin. A quick excuse and she walked outside to scoop some of the snow piling on the floor of the roofless room. The meat was far too salty to be eaten straight and her already dry throat burned. A drink was certainly in order.

PM

Lyria gasped as the, decidedly unnatural, chill settled in her bones. "Niffa!" she cried out, her ragged voice echoed in the empty room as an irrational fear gripped her mind. The logical part of her questioned the wisdom of creating such a ruckus but she knew whatever it was had seen her. Secrecy was no longer an option.

"Niffa!" she cried again, her voice becoming more desperate as she kept her gaze on the spot, just outside the demolished stone wall, where the figured had disappeared. Her mind reeled back to the shadow she thought she had seen just earlier that day. It could not have been a coincidence.

Sudden scraping against her ankle caused her to jump ever so slightly, making the climb more difficult for the small critter. Lyria sighed in relief as she saw the familiar white fur wriggled through and peeked out above her neckline, its whiskers tinged red from the unfinished dinner.

"Good girl," Lyria whispered as her gaze flickered back to the now empty hill, framed by the hole in the wall, while she began to make her way back to the rest of the group cautiously, a chosen spell running through her mind.

Strange settles comfortably into the nook, his eyes glowing faintly in the low firelight.  At some point, while nobody was watching, he produced two shiny rings from somewhere on his person and he was toying with them idly, making them dance through his fingers like magician's coins.  As Lyria re-enters he glances toward the weasel-toting woman for a brief moment before looking back in Tevlin's direction.  The duo had been friendly enough so far, but the girl at least was hiding something.

"Where did your travels begin.. hmm.. if I may be so bold as to ask?"  Those rings continue to twirl and flip disappearing for a moment only to reappear elsewhere.  He was certainly showing off, as his kind were wont to do, but that wouldn't make it any less impressive, especially with a finger missing from his left hand, "It would seem a difficult task to prepare oneself.. hmm.. for a journey that does not have a clearly defined end.  Perhaps you ventured through.. hmm.. Theranin on your travels?"  He spoke in his usual slow cadence, interrupted every few syllables by that deep rumbling sigh.

Having re-entered the room with her back against the group, Lyria almost jumped again as she heard Strange's deep and rumbling voice questioned her. What is that out there? she asked herself, Should I warn the group? What if it was nothing? You have no proof of it now and they might think that you've lost your mind.

Taking a deep breath, she looked up to the perch where the gargoyle tinkered with his rings, a wan smile spread across her face. "Well, that is a hard question to answer, Strange," she began, addressing the creature with the name he previously offered, "If only because time has eroded so many details from my mind. Lets see." Lyria made a show of frowning as she walked back towards a spot in the far side of the room, her eyes flickered every so often towards the entrance.

Can it be that the Thieves Guild sent someone after all, she wondered. Perhaps they're following the group and found this place through them? No, her mind reasoned. Vyncent Lacio was captured and he was the leader of the guild. So, can it be that the figure is a guard from Theranin instead? I swear I saw something out there twice now. Surely they cannot be a mere coincidence...

Finally at the other side of the room, Lyria was about to sit when she saw the waterskin in her hand, bulging from the snow she did not remember scooping. Her frown became genuine then, though she merely shrugged if off to her current preoccupation. Making sure that she could see the entrance from her position, she sat down carefully, bringing her knees up towards her chin while placing the waterskin in between, allowing the snow to melt from her body heat.

"I came from the town of Greenwood. Further north from Theranin, I think," Lyria continued after making herself comfortable. She made an effort to look at the stone figure, pretending to be amused by the trick he performed with the rings while keeping the entrance at the corner of her eyes. "I must admit, I was only five when I began traveling and I can't seem to remember much about the town." Only the dark, empty room with cold, hard earth for a bed. The sea that blanketed the town in its thick, salty vapour mixed with that spit-ladden breath that reeked of sickly sweet liquor. And those firm, fat fingers on strong, unyielding arms, tightening, and tightening.

Lyria yelped as Niffa bit on her finger that have crept up involuntarily towards her neck. Voicing her displeasure, Lyria pulled the weasel from its customary spot and placed her on top of her knees, stroking the soft fur slowly and firmly. Appreciative of this turn of event, the creature did little more than close her eyes and began to purr. The sound and the motion calmed Lyria's far-too-sensitive nerve as she cleared her throat and answered the gargoyle's other question. "And, yes, I have been to Theranin. In fact, it was the last town I visited to fill up my supplies before I decided to travel south through the Whitecap Pass and ended up trapped in this unfortunate weather."

Determined to change the subject, or rather the focus, of the conversation, Lyria decided to voice her illogical concern. "By the by, have any of you, perchance, saw a strange figure or shadow in this blizzard? I could have sworn I saw something, or someone, just before I found you earlier today. And just then, as I was filling up my drink, I could have sworn that I saw the figure again. But it disappeared just as quickly as it came. I have a most unnaturally uncomfortable feeling about it, whatever it is..."

Great. Now they'll think I've lost my mind.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:52, Fri 14 Dec 2012.

Gren looked up to Lyria as he polished off the last of his meal.  "Aye.  I saw such a thing earlier just before we met you.  In fact, I thought the shadow was you, which is why I stopped thinking about it.  Well then, it sounds as if we are being followed or stalked.  I still think the best plan is to let them come to us, not the other way 'round."

Gren wondered if it was one of Arudal's men looking for revenge.  Was it the hairy snow beast his people talked about?

Listening to Gren, as he re-told the encounter Lyria had experienced earlier, confirmed her suspicion and reassured her that she had not been hallucinating.

"I don't like this creature, whatever it is," she voiced her concern as she hugged her knees closer. Even with the fire in the room, she could feel the way warmth had seeped out of her body just minutes before. "When I first saw it, outside this fortress, I had approached it, thinking that it might have been another lost traveller. Yet when I came upon the spot where it should have been, there was nothing. No body and no sign that the snow was ever touched."

Lyria shuddered at the remembrance before she continued, "Then, when I saw it again, I had no doubt that it was the same... thing. And, I swore, it looked straight at me before it disappeared, just like that. I fear it now knows of our whereabouts."

Pausing a moment as the implication settled in her mind, she looked around the room at the walls that surrounded them. "Trapped," she whispered before realising she had said the word aloud. She did not like that word but it was exactly how she felt. The room that had provided shelter and safety just minutes before now felt too constrictive.

"There's only one way to enter or leave this place and it is through that entrance. We wait until that thing comes to us and we'll have nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. And who is to say that there are not more of them out there? Who's to say that what I saw the second time was not another of its kind?" Lyria reasoned, fear tinged her words despite her attempt to remain calm. She knew far too well what it was like to be cornered, unable to defend herself, and did not relish the idea of reliving the experience.

"I say we move now before its upon us. Find another place to wait, one with a way to escape should events conspire against us." Lyria looked to the half-ogre before her gaze swept around the room to every person there before settling on the tall dark-skinned man, pleading silently with her eyes. "We should not stay here."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:48, Sun 16 Dec 2012.

Strange's eyes flickered impatiently.  This seemed an odd turn of events, and he wasn't entirely sure he believed in some phantom figure out in the blizzard.  He did not relish the prospect of going back out in the cold, not when he hadn't even begun to feel the warmth from the fire.

"If something is out there.. hmm.. it cannot survive long.  Even if it can.. hmm.. there are those of us here with many and varied skills to handle whatever.. hmm.. threats we may face," he says as he makes an expansive gesture with his three-fingered left hand to indicate his companions, "I vote that we wait out this.. hmm.. storm and then continue our journey.  We can even have.. hmm.. two or three people stand guard if that will make you feel better."

He didn't add that it would make him feel better having someone from his own group to stand watch, but he certainly thought it - he wasn't about to get over his distrust that quickly.  With that he went back to toying with his rings, the firelight reflecting off of them and making brief patterns on the alcove walls where he perched.

Lorelei listened carefully at the back and forth banter between the group, discussing the strange creature in detail. She couldn't help but wonder just what the creature was as she took in Lyria's extensive chatter with a soft smile. She reminded Lorelei of Siren a bit, and amusingly seemed Human. While Lorelei wasn't racially motivated, it did help to have someone your height and not say.... half-ogre, gargoyle, or looking to be made of coal. She quirked her brow wondering how the hell she even got in this situation before Strange began to respond to Lyria.

Lorelei coughed quietly to draw attention to herself. She couldn't just cut in or talk over the others like many would in a debate as she began speaking. "Look, we -think-" she said, stressing the word think, "There is something out there. But we Know, the blizzard can and likely will kill us." She moved to continue speaking before coughing a dry painful sounding cough, before pulling close her water skin and taking a deep gulp. After a moment she continued.

"Better to risk a potential threat, then face one we can't fight against. I'd rather a beast I can punch, then the elements themselves"

She let out another light cough before lapsing into silence, sipping her water gently to ease her throat. The last sentence had come out rough and grating, but she felt it should be said. The blizzard was a guaranteed risk, a shape within it? Not as much.

"Post guards, Stay here" She added to sum up her opinion nearly a full minute later.

"While the blizzard is of no consequence to me, I agree that leaving the shelter is not wise.  It affords us poor visibility and a much easier time for anything to sneak up on us.  If this is the only entrance, then shy of smashing through the building, it is also the only angle of attack.  I say we trap it, trap the hallway behind us and post sentries. Let it come to us."

A deep frown was on her face as Lyria listened to the gargoyle's opinion. She was about to reply when a cough diverted her attention to the young, pony-tailed woman. Listening to her speak, Lyria could not help but wonder at the cause of the coarseness in her voice. The furrow on her forehead deepened even more as she heard the coughs in between her speech. Despite everything else, her years of training refused to let her ignore what seemed like an ingrained illness. However, she did not think her intrusion would be accepted and so she held her tongue.

The coughs also reminded her of how thirsty she felt, especially when Lorelei sipped her water. Making sure to keep her eye contact to let Lorelei know that she was still listening, Lyria reached and unstoppered her own waterskin, causing a disgruntled squeal from Niffa as the movement required both her hand, effectively ending the continuous patting the weasel had been receiving. Taking a deep gulp out of the portion of snow that had melted, Lyria sat quietly for a moment while her free hand reached back towards the creature.

Curled on top of her knees, Niffa watched intently as Lyria's hand reached the top of her head before closing her eyes as the scratch recommenced and the purr reverberated through her slender form once more. Thus positioned, Lyria listened to Tevlin's opinion, trying to assuage the rising panic she began to feel when she saw the figure.

Finally confident that she was sufficiently calm, Lyria made her final bid on the matter. "I think you have misunderstood what I meant and I apologise for not making my intention clear," she began. "I did not mean for us to go back out into the blizzard. I was merely suggesting that we move to a different room. We are in a large fortress, after all. I'm sure there would be other rooms that are still intact with more than one entry point. I just feel so trapped here..." Despite herself, her voice hitched slightly then and her eyes flitted to the walls on either side of her.

"However, if you would prefer to stay, then I volunteer to take the first watch with whoever else you deem fit. I don't think I'll be able to close my eyes at the moment." Truly, having met the group and then dealing with the conversation that followed dredged back too many memories Lyria thought she had buried and forgotten. She needed time to collect her scattered thoughts and plan what she should do if those mysterious figures were indeed after her, if nothing else.

Tevlin offered Lyria a concerned look.

"There are many rooms in this fortress, quite a few of which are just as defensible as this one.  If this place is uncomfortable to you, there's little sense in staying in this room when others will do."

One craggy brow was raised as Lyria clarified her previous statements.  When she and Tevlin and both finished speaking he nodded along, "No need for apologies, it sounds to me.. hmm.. like we are all in agreement."  That usually gravelly voice somehow managed to sound friendly and.. was that a smile?  It was hard to tell with those jutting tusks and sharp teeth.

"Have either of you.. hmm.. explored this structure enough to know of a room that would meet our needs?"  This new, friendly demeanor was odd compared to the suspicious tones he was using just a short few moments ago.

Kassadria couldn't help but notice how on edge Lyria appeared to be, and in such stark contrast to her companion, Tevlin. She made her best effort to hide her suspicion - after all, they had just as much reason to be distrusting of her and her own companions (who also had little reason to put much stake in Kassadria's honesty) and she felt that there was no need to drive a wedge between them immediately - not until she knew more.

Still, the whole situation gave her the feeling that something wasn't right. Mysterious figures in the blizzard, a pair of unlikely-looking companions who got stuck in this weather and just happened upon the group, and now a ruined fortress which they were being tempted into going deeper into on the basis of fear of what's outside.

To reassure herself, the Tiefling felt for the pair of rapiers on her belt; her own old faithful which had got her out of many a sticky situation, sometimes without even drawing blood, and the new rapier which had been acquired during the battle in Theranin. They suspected that it was magical, but Gren and Dale had both failed to identify its magical properties. Still, it would make a fine back-up for the blade that she already felt comfortable with.

Secure in the knowledge that neither blade had frozen into its sheath, her hands returned to her lap, where they tucked between her legs to try to keep warm. She had no furry animal to warm herself up with, sadly, and she found that even though the fire helped, she couldn't feel the heat permeate very easily through her scaled outer layer.

"Well, I think it wise to search out the rest of this place.  For all we know it may already be claimed.  If we are in someone or something elses territory we are asking for trouble.  If we are really lucky we'll find a place that is even warmer, more comfortable, and secure than this here."

His face screws up into a look of annoyance, "Of course, I'm never lucky."

Lyria smiled in obvious relief as the group seemed to change their minds once she explained her original intention. She was also glad that the half-ogre put forth another reason to move that sounded far more logical than her previous fear-addled speech.

As for Strange's question, Lyria admitted, "No, I personally have not explored the structure further than having found this room. My preoccupation had been with finding some mean of sustenance while we wait for the blizzard to pass. I suppose Niffa here would have seen more of the fortress while hunting for her food, hmm?" The last question was addressed to the furry predator, currently curled up contentedly upon her drawn up knees. Lyria nudged the purring creature with her nose to emphasise her point. Its attention diverted, Niffa perked up and stared back at Lyria, tilting her head slightly at the intrusion.

"Time to move, little one," Lyria whispered back at the wordless inquiry before she picked up the slender form, eliciting a gurgle and a half-hearted struggle, and placed Niffa upon her shoulder. Once her knees were no longer needed for support, she stood up and made her way to the back of the room to gather her belongings.

Niffa trilled loudly once she was safely perched on the shoulder and ran around the back of Lyria's neck to the other side before deciding to climb on top of her head, using the ear as a foothold on the way up. Then, it was Lyria's turn to voice her complain.

Hefting an overloaded pack upon her shoulder, Lyria turned around and faced the group with a grin on her slightly disheveled countenance.  "Well, we are ready."

Lorelei put her waterskin on her belt pouch as she stood, gathering up her bag with a nod as she hefted it casually on her back. Unlike some people she tended to travel light and she flashed Lyria and the others a nod. Searching out a better room seemed ideal, and she had always enjoyed exploring. There might be more then just a sturdy room to be found in these ruins. It seemed like a fun deviation from being stalked and a blizzard outside.

"Ready"